


post factum, nullum considium

by Mossgreen



Series: 2770 ab urbe condita [47]
Category: 2770 ab urbe condita - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Rome, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Master/Slave, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 06:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18068681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mossgreen/pseuds/Mossgreen
Summary: During a conversation with Willow, Ven muses on the changing nature of his role





	post factum, nullum considium

It had been easy enough for Ven to keep his master's rooms clean and tidy to begin with, when he had no duties other than serving his master in the house and in bed. Since his duties had expanded to include accompanying him to work, and wherever else he was told, it had been a struggle to do everything he was supposed to do. The duties were easy enough, really; simply picking up Master's dirty clothes to put in the wash, dusting, restocking the en suite bathroom when things ran low. He was reluctant to hand that duty over for another reason, too. He had started out in this house as a house-slave, with duties mainly in the public rooms of the house, taking his turn every so often to do the laundry and the ironing and make sure the slaves' dormitory and break-room were neat and tidy. It was not at all unknown for Master to conduct random unannounced inspections; slaves were only property, after all, and just because he allowed them their own quarters did not mean that they were entitled to privacy there.

All the house-slaves treated Master with caution (understandably!) and it had always been with a sense of slight anxiety that they had entered his rooms to clean and tidy them. Ven had taken that duty on himself since being claimed as the master's _concubīnus_ , meaning that none of the others had to deal with that nervousness in case Master came in unexpectedly (which had happened). Ven could not be sure if some of the nervousness had existed because there was no buffer between the slaves and their owner's sexual appetites, although he had not really done anything with any of them prior to taking Ven to his bed. There had been occasions when he'd fucked one or another, but he hadn't touched Ven himself until that fateful day.

He certainly hadn't used any of them for videos or demonstrations of any description – as far as Ven could work out, any demonstrations his master had done prior to taking Ven as his _concubīnus_ had been done using one of the slaves owned by Phallusy.

And now Ven was in a somewhat privileged position, and struggling with all the numerous little chores that came with it. If his master kept him in bed later than usual, he lost time. If a meeting overran, he lost time. He had been signed up to some online courses to learn various things that his master wanted him to learn so that he could fulfil his secretarial role. He had prescribed exercises he had to fit into his day.

It was beginning to be a struggle and Ven knew there was only one way that it could really be solved: have one of the house-slaves come in during the day to do the dusting, clean the bathroom and vacuum the rug, and change the bedding if it needed changing and do whatever other little things might need doing that Ven did not have the time for any more.

He cut his exercises short by five minutes and did not linger under the shower afterwards; he needed to make some time to talk to Willow about it.

"I wouldn't ask anyone to do it while we're home and they might have Master walk in on them," Ven said, remembering the thrill of terror he used to feel if his master entered a room unexpectedly, although that had turned out differently than he had thought, and the other house-slaves might not have that worry anyway. "But we're out often enough and long enough for anyone to do it – if we _weren't_ , I'd still be able to do it myself, after all. I'm only asking because I can't do two things at once. And the days we're not out, it won't take me more than five minutes to dust or whatever, if the proper cleaning's been done the day before."

He was glad he had a good working relationship with Willow; he'd seen households where the slaves did not get along, and it made life far harder than it needed to be.

"It isn't hard, or anything, just general cleaning I can't do – mostly the en-suite and a bit of dusting. I can usually do the tidying it needs," he added. "It's the time, not that I'm unable to at all – I wouldn't ask if it was that."

"It's all right, I think it can be made to work without being too much of a problem – we've got a big enough staff, after all. Don't worry about it. And you don’t have to justify yourself to me, I’m perfectly aware of the calls on your time, after all."

"You're a good steward, Willow. I don't know what we're going to do when you take your freedom."

Willow's face grew... complicated, at that suggestion. "I don't know... if I'm going to," he said slowly. "Though don't say anything – though I suppose out of everyone, you're the most likely person in the house to think I'm mad."

"Not... mad," Ven said thoughtfully. "I mean, I can understand why you wouldn't. _I_ would, but it's different for me, of course. Though I'm not exactly typical, myself. I mean, most _concubīni_ are younger than I am, by a good ten years or so. I don't _look_ like a damn teenager, do I?"

Willow laughed. "No, nobody could mistake you for a teenager, Ven."

Ven smiled in reply. "I can understand if they’d rather I did the bedside table and the niche for Master’s _genius_ ; I just can’t find the time to do everything, not on top of everything else I’m supposed to do nowadays."

"You don’t have to apologise, Ven, it’s not your fault your duties have changed."

Ven rubbed his neck. "No, I suppose it isn’t. Only… I’m supposed to be useful, I’ve been trained to be useful, and saying I can’t do something any more just feels like I’m saying I can’t be useful any more, even though that’s not true. As you say, my duties have changed, I’m just useful in a different way now."

He had been used to being of service in the house - cleaning, serving, running errands - and his mental training hadn’t switched his service from household duties to personal duties, but had simply added his new duties to his old ones. 

He supposed it was because his change in duties had been so unexpected, as had the addition of the secretarial role later on.

At least now he wasn’t expected to spend hours standing by the wall in the atrium waiting just in case his master needed an errand run, or doing load after load of laundry (when you were one of a number of slaves, all of whom had several tunics, plus all the bedding and other sundries that required washing, the two or three loads of the master’s washing per week were laughable!). And what was washed needed to be ironed - at least, the tunics did and the master’s bedding. What treatment the slaves’ bedding got depended on who was on laundry duty and whether they felt like ironing a pile of sheets as well as everything else.

The household functioned like a well-oiled machine, and that had everything to do with Willow, who had neatly arranged things so that the house-slaves rotated between front-of-house duties and actual chores - though the front-of-house duties included sweeping and dusting the public parts of the house in the morning, and mopping the floors last thing at night.

Ven’s new duties weren’t difficult, not really. They just took time - as much of his time as his master wanted. But then, Ven belonged to his master, which meant that his body was his master’s to do what he wanted with, and his time likewise was his master’s, to be spent however his master told him.

"You know that’s not true," Willow pointed out. "The master seems to think you’re pretty useful, or I’m sure you wouldn’t be asking me for help in making sure his rooms are kept clean and tidy."

"Clean, I can still manage tidy; it isn’t as though there’s tons to pick up all the time,” Ven interjected, and sighed. “I suppose you’re right, you’re usually right. How’s Moss working out?"

"Moss? Actually better than I thought - I had the impression he’d pretty much been a bed-slave since he _was_ young enough to be a _puer dēlicātus_ , but he’s settled in quick enough, though I think he’s a bit nervous around me."

Ven’s eyebrow twitched. "Nervous of you? You might be the steward, but nervous of you? I don’t think so."

"You don’t?"

"No." Ven shook his head. "I could be wrong, I haven’t really had a chance to see much of him around you - or anyone else - but I think he’s a bit shy."

"Same thing."

"It really isn’t. I think he might be trying to find the courage to ask you something but doesn’t quite know how."

"What are you suggesting?"

Ven stopped and turned to look at his friend and fellow-slave. "Has it occurred to you that he might have a crush on you?"

"You’re joking."

"Not at all."

"I’ve never…"

"Despite Master?"

" _He’s_ never, with me…"

“If you don’t know what to do, I’m pretty sure Moss does. And it doesn’t have to be anything like the stuff Master does with me." He grinned. “Just… I don’t know. If you want to try, say something to him. If you don’t… you’ll need to talk to him anyway. Maybe he just doesn’t know what to say. I can’t help you figure it out, though, I’ve got work of my own to do - there’s at least three letters Master needs me to type up to send off. Only, talk to Moss, even if you don’t want to fuck him. And if you don't, let him down gently."

"I’ll do that."

Willow headed back towards the slave quarters and Ven watched him go for a moment before turning back to the _tablīnum_ to get on with his secretarial duties.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
>  _post factum, nullum considium_ \- (Title) - After the deed is done, consultation is useless  
>  _concubīni_ \- plural of _concubīnus_ , male bed-slave or concubine  
>  _genius_ \- guardian spirit, usually of the head of the household. Represented by a small statue, bust or head, usually kept in a niche in the master's bedroom  
>  _puer dēlicātus_ \- 'pretty boy', 'delicate boy', a young boy used for his master's sexual desires  
>  _tablīnum_ \- study/home office, for the use of the master of the house


End file.
